


Demons

by shockvaluecola



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Anal Fisting, Begging, Belts, Cock & Ball Torture, Critical Role Relationship Week, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Explicit Consent, F/M, Fisting, Kink Negotiation, Masochism, Needles, Nipple Torture, Orgasm Denial, Paddling, Pain, Painplay, Pre-Series, Sadism, Spanking, Whipping, critrole rsweek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 01:10:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9633398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shockvaluecola/pseuds/shockvaluecola
Summary: Sometimes Vax gets an itch and there's only one way to scratch it. He suspects that gnome they've been traveling with, the girl one, might be able to help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this gets pretty intense with the pain kink at some points, but Vax is into it and loving it the entire time. I'm a firm believer that Vax totally needs to get fucked up and get the demons out occasionally, and I also believe Pike would be super good at it.

Vax has never had any problem finding what he needs. When he needs food, he can get it. When he needs money, he can steal it. When he needs his sister, she’s by his side. When he needs a bedwarmer, he can be charming, and he knows he has a handsome face.

Sometimes, he needs pain.

That’s not hard to find, either. Sometimes a bar fight will do, and it’s usually pretty easy to pick one. Even when he needs something else, a more _intimate_ pain, there are places to look for that, too. It got a lot easier when he became part of the Clasp. Plenty of upjumped thugs more than willing to show a mouthy kid his place, and if he has to endure the occasional indignity at their hands, he considers it a small price to pay to silence his demons.

Vax was starting to feel that itch, the uneasy squirm deep inside him that said _hurt me, fuck me up, make me sorry I’m not better than this_. Fisticuffs weren’t going to be enough this time. He was contemplating hitting the sewers, but he was…wondering if there might not be a better option.

They’d started traveling with new people. Being who they were, the twins were slow to let anyone in, to open their hearts to anyone but each other. But these people, this team, they were worming their way in anyway. No one could stay cold and distant for long around Scanlan’s mischief or Keyleth’s sweetness.

It was the other gnome, though, the woman. Pike. Vax had a feeling about her. A hunch. He let that hunch sit for awhile, watching her from afar as they traveled together and seeing if she might do anything to confirm or deny his suspicions. It was untenable, though, the itch turning into a clawing desperation that was starting to make him do stupid shit. There was no longer anything for it but to ask.

“I just, uh…well, what I’m about to ask is _way_ too much to ask, I know that, but I’m gonna ask it anyway cause, well, I’m a selfish prick I guess.”

Pike was looking at him with an expression of polite concern and curiosity. They knew each other well enough that he called her Pickle and she knew his favorite tea but this was…well, something altogether different. She was quiet while he tripped over himself and fumbled his words, as damnably sweet and unreadable as ever.

“I mean, basically the point is I know this is…you can just tell me to go away and I won’t be offended and all, don’t at all feel like you have to, just maybe, if you do that, don’t tell anyone I asked? I mean, if you say no I can get this taken care of elsewhere and then I’ll have my head right again so what I’m saying is don’t feel obligated but, uh, sometimes I just get this itch and the only way to scratch it is for someone to…”

Vax trailed off, and Pike nodded encouragement. “For someone to…hurt me. And something just…just tells me that you know something about that.”

Vax was quiet for one whole entire second, and then started up again, a nervous machine-gun rattle of words clattering out. “It’s totally too much to ask, you’re right, I’m sorry, I don’t even know what I was thinking, I’m gonna just go and we’ll hit that town to-“

“Vax.”

Her tone was quiet, and stopped him in his tracks.

“Shush. It’s not too much to ask.”

Vax had already been turning away, and he looked back at her, looking like a bird ready to fly away, a skittish horse ready to bolt. “It’s not?”

“Of course not. Everyone needs something like this sometimes.”

Vax was almost sure that was not true, but he swallowed hard, and couldn’t help wanting to believe her. “…Yeah?”

She smiled at him, and nodded. “Yeah. And you’re right that I do know a little something about it.” Her smile broadened into something almost…fiendish.

It shouldn’t have been comforting, but it was, and Vax felt himself relax. The demon inside was already responding to her words, settling as it realized it was going to get what it wanted soon. Vax’s mind was already spinning away from him, imagining all the things she might do and all the things he wanted. Where would he even begin?

…That was a good question. Where _would_ they begin? And more importantly, when? “So, like…now, or…?”

“It doesn’t have to be now,” Pike said, as serene and sweet as ever. “Unless you want it to be now.”

Vax came back, finally, and sat down in the chair he’d started in. “Well, you know, I mean…whenever works for you, Pickle, I’m not-“

“Vax.”

Her tone made his spine straighten, made him snap to attention. He was eager to obey that tone.

“I don’t want a ‘whenever works’ answer. I want a yes or a no. Do you want it now?”

Vax swallowed. “Y-yes. Please.”

“Good.” She looked pleased, and Vax felt warm. “I think it more appropriate if you were on your knees right now. Don’t you?”

Vax dropped without hesitation, coming off the chair and forward onto his knees. “Yes, ma’am. Is that…” He faltered a little. “Can I call you ma’am?”

“You can if you like,” Pike agreed, hopping off her own chair and coming toward him. They were basically the same height, in this arrangement, but Vax didn’t mind it. Being on his knees still felt like lowering himself for her, and it was _good_.

“Now, it seems to me we don’t have time to discuss this properly,” Pike said, reaching out and working on a clasp of his armor with an almost businesslike touch. “Keep your hands at your sides, please,” she added. “But we can establish a few ground rules. One: I will not hurt you more severely than you can take safely. I’ll heal you up with magic when we’re done, but we stop the moment I think you might be getting beyond what I can fix. I won’t necessarily stop if you’re bleeding, for example, but if you start to look pale, we’re done. Understood?”

Vax nodded, letting Pike start divesting him of his armor. It felt like movement, like something was getting accomplished, and it soothed the craving long enough for him to be able to speak. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Two: If we do this again, I’ll expect you to tell me exactly what you want. We’re going to establish some quick likes and dislikes now, and some more thorough ones later, but I expect you to voice specific desires whenever you come to me.”

Vax nodded again. “I can do that. As long as you can accept ‘anything within the limits,’ if that’s the real answer.”

“I can,” Pike agreed. She’d gotten the hardened leather breastplate undone, setting it aside. “Do you think that will be the answer every time?”

“No, no,” Vax said, shaking his head. “I definitely…er, want specifics sometimes. But sometimes I just…”

Pike was undoing the buckles that kept his bracers firm to his forearms. “Need to give someone else control?” she guessed.

Vax nodded, relieved that she got it. “Yeah.”

“I can understand that. But specifics will help me do it better, as I figure out what you like.” One bracer off and tossed over with the breastplate, small fingers working at the other one. Vax’s heartbeat was speeding up. “Three: if I ask how you’re feeling, you can’t just say you’re fine. You have to be honest with me. Can you do that?”

It made Vax falter a little. “I…can try?” he attempted. “Can I have more than one crack at the answer, if it’s hard?”

“I just want you to be honest, Vax,” she said, going to the ties that kept his tunic closed around his neck.

“Right, but like…” Vax lifted his arms for his tunic and then shirt to come away, talking the whole while. “I mean, I won’t…I won’t deliberately lie but sometimes, you know, the answer will be 'I'm feeling so many things I don't know how to actually tell you anything useful,' or 'I'm actually feeling horrible but that's how I want to feel right now so don't stop,' you know? That's hard to express right on the first try when I'm already fucked up.”

Pike sighed, and the note of disappointment in it was like a cold needle in his heart. “I’m just asking you to try, Vax.”

“Right.” He swallowed hard again. “Okay. Well, just answer me this: is ‘keep going’ a valid answer?”

“No,” she said, firm. “If you just tell me to keep going, I’ll stop.”

He let out a frustrated breath. “Right. Well, like I said. I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask,” Pike said, undoing his belt. “Stand up?” she requested, and Vax did. “I noticed you want to call me ma’am, and that’s fine. My name is fine, too. Anything you want to call me, as long as it’s respectful. Is there anything you’d like me to call you?”

Vax shook his head as she got his belt off him. “Not really. Whatever you like. Doesn’t have to be respectful,” he said with a little laugh. “But, er, I mean, it…sometimes it…if I’m not in the best place, it helps if you tell me I’m…you know. A good boy.” He blushed. 

Pike smiled, and had him lift each foot so she could pull off his boots. Then down came the breeches, leaving him naked for her.

“Back down,” she instructed, and Vax obeyed, already approaching halfway hard. It made him blush a little, and she must have noticed, judging from her next question. “How sexual do you want me to be with you?”

“Well, it…it’s going to be sexual for me regardless. But you don’t have to do anything about it if you don’t want to, it’ll go off or go away on its own. But I’m also okay with it if you want to be…sexual. I’m okay either way.”

Pike nodded thoughtfully. “My answer to that will probably vary,” she told him. “But this is all strictly platonic, yes? Fucking as friends.”

“Definitely,” Vax agreed with a nod. “And it’s _just_ between you and me.”

Pike nodded back. “I’ll never tell anyone or invite them in unless you want me to. Next question: is there anything in particular you don’t want me to do?”

“Um…” Vax seemed to…soften in demeanor. No, soften wasn’t right. It was like he shrank. Pike was starting to get a sense of the kinds of things Vax had done before. “No piss or shit, but anal is…you know, fine. I don’t like ass to mouth. Don’t, um…don’t spit on me. I don’t want anything you can’t heal in a spell or two, but you talked about that already. Most things are okay, honestly, just…I mean, we’ll have to have the longer talk later, I guess.”

“We will,” Pike assured him. “Is there anything you particularly want today, specifically?”

Vax shook his head, and his eyes fluttered shut. “Not really. Just _hurt_ me.” His voice went a little quiet, like he didn’t mean to say it but couldn’t help it, like the need for it was bubbling out of him. Pike stroked his hair, smiling at how he leaned into the touch, needy and starving for it.

“I’ll hurt you, Vax,” she told him. “I just don’t want to harm you.”

The look in his eyes, when he opened them, was surprise, and it made Pike’s heart ache in her chest. What kind of abuse had he taken in order to slake this thirst?

“Now, I’m going to say a few things. And you tell me won’t, will, want, or you don’t know what it is. Understand?”

Vax nodded, licking his lips. He was eager to get started, but he’d cooperate.

“Restraints.”

“Will,” Vax said. “Sometimes want. I’ll never turn them away but sometimes I really want them.”

“Good boy,” she praised, liking the thorough answer. She picked up Vax’s belt and started to bind his hands behind his back with it. She felt the hitch in his breathing, and felt satisfied.

“Hair-pulling.”

Vax licked his lips again, and closed his eyes. “Want.”

Smirking a little, Pike tugged lightly on his hair just to see the reaction. He inhaled, and made a little sound when she did it harder. “Okay. Cutting.”

“W-want.” He cracked one eye open as she came back around to his front. “But I know it’s…a lot.”

“It is,” Pike agreed. “But we’ll see. I won’t offer anything I’m not willing to give you. Humiliation.”

The pause was unusually long. “Want.”

Pike tilted her head. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah,” Vax said. “But maybe…um, maybe…not for the first time?”

Pike nodded. “Of course. We’ll save that for when I’ve earned your trust.”

“I trust you,” he said, almost immediately.

Pike’s smile was soft. “You shouldn’t. Not with this. But I’ll try to be worthy of it. Breath play.”

“Will.”

“No strong feelings about it?”

Vax shook his head. “I mean, I know how to get out of a hold like that if I have to, so it doesn’t feel that dangerous. For better or worse.”

“Good to know. Orgasm denial?”

“Will. Want, some days. Won’t, very occasionally. I’ll probably be able to let you know.”

“Fair enough. Exhibitionism?”

“Ehhh…will, I guess.” 

“Fisting?”

Vax visibly shivered. “W-will.”

Pike raised one eyebrow. “Vax…” Her tone was warning.

He shivered again. “Want. Fuck. Want.”

“What made you say will at first?” she asked, stepping close. She ran both hands down his chest, tweaking his nipples as she passed them to make him squirm.

“That sounds like so fucking much,” Vax said, eyes closed again. “I know your hands are small but fuck, Pike. It’s a little scary, thinking about how much I want that.”

Pike nodded. “Okay. We’ll just see how it goes, then, but I would love to make you feel that good once you’ve gotten what you need. Tentatively, I’ll say that’s what we can end with. All right?”

Vax nodded, eyes still shut tight. “Yes. Please.”

Pike kissed him on the cheek. “You’ve been such a good boy, telling me what you want so clearly. I’m so proud of you. It’s not so hard, see?”

Vax laughed breathlessly. “Maybe not now. Different story when we get really going.”

“That’s true,” Pike agreed. “Okay, I won’t make you wait anymore. Stand up, and we can get to my room from here without going through any main hallways.”

Vax remembered with a shock that they were still in a common room in the little tenement the team was renting, and anyone could have come upon him in this state: hard, bound, and on his knees for Pike. He’d been so eager for it, such a slut, that it hadn’t even occurred to him to get somewhere private. The idea burned in his chest, not entirely unpleasantly.

Pike picked up his armor for him and made him walk naked, hard, and tied through the house to get to the room she shared with Keyleth and Percy. Scanlan, Grog, and Tiberius occupied another room, while Vax and his sister shared what was intended as an office. It was by no means room enough for eight people, but they’d be out of the place soon, Vex was hoarding money for it like a damned dragon. Vax knelt again and watched as Pike set down his armor and hung one of his bracers on the doorknob.

Everyone knew what his armor looked like. Vax thought of someone walking by, seeing his clothing on a doorknob that wasn’t his, and knowing what conclusions to draw. 

“Now then,” Pike said, standing with her hands behind her back. She was still fully clothed, but she didn’t wear her armor when they were at home, so it was just simple pants, slippers, and a shirt. Enough that Vax could still see the shape of her body underneath.

“Go over to my bed,” she said, nodding to a bedroll in the corner. There were two plus an actual bed, the one in the corner smaller than the other. He walked over awkwardly on his knees, resisting the urge to start picking and pulling at the belt around his wrists. He had no doubt he could get out of it if he wanted, but he had to be good. “Forehead to the blankets, please.”

Vax swallowed hard, and bent over, adjusting his knees to be comfortable as he let his face meet the bed. His ass was up in the air, making him feel exposed and vulnerable. She was doing something he couldn’t quite hear, and he jumped when something touched the front of his knees.

“It’s a pillow, Vax,” he told him softly. “Bruises on your knees are no fun.”

Vax almost didn’t accept it, didn’t know how to handle such a kindness. But he shifted his knees so she could get the pillow under them, taking a breath to try to be calm. He was wound so tight with anticipation, it was making him jumpy.

Pike pronounced the pillow good and backed away while Vax was focusing on his breath, trying to relax. Because he wasn’t looking or listening, it came as a shock when a belt was laid across his ass.

He muffled the sound he made in the bed, jumping a little. A small hand reached out, rubbing the stripe she’d left. “Good?”

Vax nodded vigorously.

“Harder? Softer?”

Vax turned his head to the side so he could be heard. “Harder. _Please._ ”

The next blow drew a satisfied groan out of him, and Pike bit her lip as she gave him more. Red welts were rising across his ass, and she could just see his cock at this angle. He was as hard as ever, dripping a little.

“Can you come just from being hurt?” Pike asked curiously, still hitting him on a steady rhythm. 

“I-nnh! I…I…” He couldn’t seem to get words out, cut off every time by the methodical _slaps_ of leather against flesh, but he took a breath and made himself get through it. “Yeah, with enough-ah! ‘Nough time. Takes awhile.”

“Hmm. I’ll keep that in mind.” A soothing hand ran over his back. “You can relax, I won’t make you talk anymore. You’re being a good boy for me.”

The praise made Vax sigh and relax, made the next few swings with the belt a little better. Pike miscalculated though, and one hit him a little low. Right in that crease between ass and the backs of his thighs, right at the level where his balls were, though they were protected by his legs. Vax gasped and couldn’t help spreading his legs, one knee sliding off the pillow.

Pike tilted her head, watching him offer himself up. She ran the belt up between his legs, stroking his cock and balls with it, listening to the shaky moan he gave her.

“Do you want to be hit here?” she asked curiously.

She watched as he shrank again, going red and retreating into his shoulders before nodding slowly, hiding himself in the bed again.

“Oh, Vax,” Pike sighed, running the belt over him again to give him a little pleasure. “The trouble I could get into with you.”

Despite everything happening, he laughed, and Pike spanked him hard to wipe the grin off his face.

She caught him right in the balls, turning his laugh to a cry of pain. The next blow was even better, and the one after that. He was already working hard not to snap his legs closed, fighting that powerful instinct to protect himself. The pain of it made him shake a little, but his cock was still hard.

“It’s so tempting to keep doing that,” Pike commented, reaching between Vax’s thighs to give him a gentle rub. “See how long this lasts, hm?” she said, giving his hard cock a gentle squeeze. Vax let out a desperate moan, the skin hypersensitive from pain, all those nerves woken up and brought to excitement. 

But too soon, her hand was taken away, and he could hear the belt hit the ground as she dropped it. “You’ve been a good boy so far,” she told him, gently rubbing his welted ass. “I’m going to let your hands out, and you’re going to turn over and lay on your back for me, ass on the pillow,” she instructed. “And then we’ll see about getting your hands tied again, if you still want that.”

“I do,” Vax said, and waited patiently for the belt to come away from his wrists. He flexed his hands a few times, making sure the circulation was okay, then shifted over onto his back, wincing when his abused ass made contact with the pillow. His head was laying on the piled bedding, so the surface under him was at least soft. He glanced down and spotted the dark red color where she’d hit him, from abuse and from arousal. Vax swallowed hard and looked up at the ceiling again, reaching his hands over his head.

After some deliberation, Pike just tied his wrists together and dropped a pillow over them, to help Vax remember they should stay there. She stood over him and bent down to run a hand over his chest again, watching his face as her fingers tripped across a nipple. There was a little flicker, and more of one when she pinched. She grinned wide.

“I’ll be right back,” she promised, cupping his face gently for a moment, then stood up. Vax kept his eyes on the ceiling, hearing her rummaging through what sounded like a jewelry box, and closed them when he heard her returning to him. He didn’t want to know what she was planning.

“Take a deep breath,” she said, and Vax obeyed. He felt her fingers on his nipple again, then a sharp pinch. He opened his eyes and looked down to see a hairpin, the kind shaped like a V, that had been slid onto his nipple, pinching it tightly. It hurt, and he moaned as he let his head fall back, feeling his cock twitch.

“Good boy,” Pike praised. “Same thing again.” The other nipple got its own pin, making Vax squirm and want to cover his face. She slapped both of them lightly at the same time, making Vax twitch and whine. He wasn’t too proud to admit that he had definitely whined.

“Keep breathing, sweet boy,” Pike said, picking something up from the side and sitting down on his abdomen, straddling his body. “If you’re losing it now, you’re going to have nothing left in a few minutes.”

Vax closed his eyes again and swallowed hard as he felt several cool, thin objects be laid out on his ribcage. Tools, no doubt, like what a torturer might use for their work. Not the worst comparison right now, probably, and his musings distracted him enough that he didn’t notice that one had been picked up until there was a burning pinch.

The pins clamped behind his nipples hurt, but they were also restricting blood flow, making them _sensitive_ and forcing them to stay hard and stand out. As warmth welled up around it, Vax realized that Pike had a needle, and she was pushing it into his flesh.

The slightest twist and Vax was crying out in pain, arching his back. He could feel blood beading and running in a trail toward the middle of his chest. He could feel the metal tearing into his flesh, only a quarter of an inch, but enough to make him feel invaded, overwhelmed, violated in the best way. Then it withdrew, pulling a gutteral sound out of Vax, and he cried out again, feeling bereft and empty. If the presence of the thing had been oppressive, its absence was even more so.

She did the same to the other side, and all Vax could manage was a desperate whine. “How are you feeling, Vax?” Pike asked, tone soft.

“Good,” he moaned out, then growled in frustration. “Not good, fucking hurts, but I want it so bad, don’t fucking stop, please, it hurts so fucking good.”

“I won’t stop,” she assured him, pushing the needle in a little harder to hear him cry out again, then pulled it out and stabbed from a new angle. “I’m going to make these a bloody ruin. Then I’m going to make you come, if you haven’t yet, and then I’ll heal you up good as new. Okay, Vax?”

He nodded desperately. “Please please please, please, it-ahh!” Without withdrawing the first needle, she’d driven a second into his other nipple.

“Good _boy_ ,” she praised, even over his shouting.

Her tools turned out to be simple sewing needles, and she kept her promise: within minutes, Vax’s nipples were both cut and stabbed to shit. The pain was incredible, exquisite, wiping everything else from his mind just the way he wanted. What finally broke him, though, was when she took the hairpins off and let blood flow back in.

The sudden rush of it brought an intense wave of pain, and before Vax really had time to process it, he was crying, inhaling shaky breaths as tears flowed down his temples. He tried to regulate his breathing, control himself, but Pike had reached out to pet his hair, soothing him.

“That’s right, sweet boy,” she was whispering. “That’s right, let it out, it’s okay. I’m here, you’re safe. Let it out. Good boy. You’re okay. That’s right. Good boy.”

Without thinking about it, he reached up, clutching at Pike’s forearm where she was petting his hair. It took him a minute to even realize what had happened, and hey, hadn’t his wrists been tied?

“Oh shit,” he mumbled. Slippery rogue he was, he’d wiggled free of the rope without even thinking about it.

“Oh,” Pike said, looking at his hand in surprise. “I didn’t think of that, huh?”

“Pike, I’m so sorry,” Vax said, earnest and desperate through his tears. “Please believe me, I didn’t mean-“

“Shhhh.” Pike went back to petting his hair. “It’s okay, I’m not mad, it’s okay. It’s my fault, I should know to use better knots on a rogue. It’s okay, I’m not upset.” She gathered his head to her chest, letting him cry into the soft fabric of her shirt and not caring that he was getting blood on her. Vax just accepted it because he didn’t have the brainpower to do anything other than what she said at this point.

Vax was still sobbing when Pike stroked his hair and bent her head, so she could whisper in his ear. “You’ve been a good boy and earned a reward. Do you want me to make you come?”

Vax needed to take a deep breath first, but he managed to shake his head.

“No?” Pike asked, wanting to confirm. Communicating was obviously hard for him.

Vax shook his head again. “I’m…” He sniffled. “‘Mgood. Don’ need it.”

“Okay,” Pike said, nodding and petting his hair some more. “How about we just sit right here for a little while, then? And you let me know when you’re ready for me to heal you.”

He nodded, sniffling again. “‘Kay.”

Pike shifted so the position was more comfortable for Vax, didn’t have his back bent so much, and cradled his head against her chest and shoulder to let him wear himself out. There was a little niggling worry in the back of her head, the unshakable feeling of wondering if she might have gone too far. But most of her was sure that she hadn’t, that these tears were the catharsis Vax had been looking for. He wasn’t trying to get away or hide from her, after all: his arms were around her waist, bundling her close into his lap, and his face was buried deep into the crook between her neck and shoulder. Most importantly, there was a looseness to him that she associated with a job well done. Somehow both pain-stiff and languid, he wasn’t carrying himself like someone who’d been betrayed, nor left unfulfilled. She’d get her reassurance that it had been good for him soon, there was no need to worry about it yet.

After a little bit, his sobs slowed to hiccups, then shaky breaths, then calm breaths. Pike was starting to wonder if Vax had fallen asleep when he squirmed a little and lifted his head.

“Um, can we…could…”

Pike stroked his hair gently. “It’s okay, Vax. You can say whatever you need to say.”

He nodded and looked down. “Um, I’m ready for you to…you know, but, uh, I don’t want to…”

“You’re ready to be healed?” Pike asked.

Vax nodded, so Pike nodded back and moved her hands to his chest, careful to only touch around them as she cast a cure spell on him. He went a little slack as it fixed him up to being just fine.

“Okay. What’s the thing you don’t want?” she asked patiently.

“You to…go away.” Vax was looking awkward.

“Oh, sweet boy,” she said with a smile, cupping Vax’s face and bringing him down to kiss his forehead. “I won’t leave you alone until you specifically tell me you’re ready for that. You don’t have to worry, okay? But I do think we should go get you some clothes that aren’t your armor, and we can cuddle in your bed for awhile, okay? I don’t think we’ll fit in mine.”

Vax nodded, and the relief on his face made Pike’s heart ache. She sighed, drawing a line with her finger over one of his eyebrows.

“Some people have treated you bad for this in the past, huh?” she asked softly.

Vax shrugged, looking uncomfortable again. “Treated bad’s what I want.”

Pike sighed again and shook her head, looking up at him with nothing but sympathy on her face. “Oh, Vax. We’ve got so much to talk about.”


	2. Chapter 2

Pike could tell, these days, when Vax was getting ready to come to her. He didn’t do it often: less than once a month, but more than once a season. But they’d been together as a team for long enough that she knew his tells and signals, and she knew what he would need based on how he’d been behaving. 

Sometimes he needed to be hurt and punished, but sometimes he just needed time to relax, a little period where nothing was his decision or his fault. Sometimes both. When he needed to be hurt he’d give people reasons to want to punish him, run into fights he wasn’t prepared for or start hitting Grog in the nuts to try to get him to fight back. He would act out to try and get someone to bring him into line. When he needed to relax he was the opposite, more dour and quiet than usual, going only where he was told or where he’d be useful, withdrawing into his own head too much.

Lately, he’d been acting out.

Earlier, Pike had watched as Vax tried to bait Grog into fighting him, darting around like the nimble little shithead he was and taking potshots. She hadn’t said anything at the time, just watched this happen, so she wasn’t surprised when he showed up at her door in the mansion that night, head down and hands behind his back.

“Come on in, Vax,” she said softly, stepping back and opening the door. He waited for her to close it, then dropped to his knees, as was their routine. This was good for both of them — he’d tell her exactly what he wanted, so there was no confusion, and the submission and vulnerability of offering this up to her would put him in the right headspace for it. Pike, in turn, could hear his requests and choose whether to grant them or not, as well as how and to what degree.

Also, his embarrassment at having to ask so explicitly was precious, and his demeanor as he did it told Pike whether it was real. If he could meet her eyes, he wasn’t being honest and wasn’t ready to be good. Right now, his eyes were closed.

“I want you to tie me up,” he began, hands in his lap and fidgeting. “Then spank me with a paddle, then m-maybe…” He swallowed hard. “Maybe whip my cock with that little thing. And then I want you to fuck me with…I mean, with whatever you want, but maybe…maybe your hand.”

Pike listened to all this impassively, then tilted his chin up with her fingers. He looked her in the eye, face a fetching pink. “Anything else?” she asked.

“Um…” He licked his lips nervously. Pike continued to look impassive. “Be, uh…a little mean, maybe? Like…don’t call me a good boy until I’ve earned it. Because I haven’t, yet.”

“Well, it’s good that you know you’ve been bad lately.” She let go of his chin. Then she smiled, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed his forehead. “I would be happy to do that for you, Vax. Thank you for asking so nicely.”

He was like a puppet with his strings cut, all the tension draining out of him at once. He still had that little bit of damage, that moment of waiting to be slapped away when he asked for what he wanted. But once Pike didn’t do it, he’d remember that she never had, and never would, and that it was safe to be so vulnerable with her. It was a leap of faith for him every time, and Pike felt honored that he trusted her to catch him.

But he’d asked her to be mean tonight, so she contained it a little, drawing herself up straight and pulling on the same impassive face. “Let’s go to your room and do this.”

Scanlan was bright enough to soundproof all the rooms, at least, but somehow Pike trusted Vax’s room more than her own. He started to stand up, and she raised her eyebrows.

“I did not give you permission to stand.”

Face burning, he nodded and came back down. Slowly, he came forward onto his hands and knees, and started crawling to the door. Pike gave him a minute to steel himself, then opened it to let him out.

The actual chances of someone coming upon them like this were relatively slim, but not zero. Enough to set Vax’s breathing heavy, enough to give Pike a little thrill at seeing him crawl for her. The progress down the hallway was slow, slower than she could have walked it, but it was worth it to have Vax plodding along next to her, his head at just the right height to reach over and scritch. She opened the door to his bedroom for him, then left him alone to start undressing while she went to borrow the bag of holding from Grog.

When she got back, Vax was halfway through the armor process, and Pike started helping, making him kneel so she could get his boots and start on his breeches. It took them a couple minutes, but soon enough Vax was naked and kneeling.

Pike proceeded to ignore him for awhile while she set his armor aside and summoned a servant to stand guard outside the door. She was softening him up, letting him stew a little while she did these other things, humming lightly when she started to pull necessary tools and supplies out of the bag. Grog didn’t know these things were in here, just their weight so they didn’t overfill the bag, so Pike and Vax were the only ones who could retrieve them. First was a silken rope, smooth so it didn’t leave marks on him. Next was the paddle, a simple wooden thing, then the switch, a thin, flexible stick with a leather handle, somewhere between cane and whip. Vax’s reactions when it was used on his cock were exquisite. Next was the jar of thick oil to be used for slick, and then a few other things, just in case she decided he needed more than he’d asked for. It was better to have everything laid out and organized properly than to have to go digging in the middle. And it gave her an excuse to linger more, let Vax keep working himself up in his own head. She did love how well he could be softened up by just ignoring him, it was _fascinating_.

After a few minutes, however, she’d gotten everything done that she could think of, so she approached Vax again. “Hands behind your back, Vax.”

He was quick to obey, eager to be good after being ignored for awhile. Pike bound him at the elbows, having learned well that there was really no way to tie his wrists that he couldn’t get out of. Elbows worked pretty well, though, and he was flexible enough to hold that for an hour or two without any problems.

“Face down,” she instructed him, so he moved, pressing his face into the pile carpet. It was a familiar position, and he let his hips settle back a little bit, so it was easier to maintain. Feet tucked up under him, like Vex guarding a pair of damned boots. Also, his ass was stuck out, making a wonderful target.

The first blow with the paddle was hard and satisfying, making him groan in appreciation. His cock was already hardening by the third blow, but Pike paused, making a thoughtful sound. Vax just stayed where he was, closing his eyes. He knew that it was time to let Pike take control, to be a good boy and just take what she gave him. If she wanted his opinion, she’d ask for it.

“I think you need a gag,” she declared, and he heard her footsteps walking away. “You’re getting noisy already. I’d ask if you had a preference for which one, but I’m probably just going to pick the one I want anyway!” she said cheerfully.

Vax just laughed, and didn’t bother moving or trying to offer his opinion. He just closed his eyes and lifted his head up enough that she’d have room, opening his mouth.

The thing that pushed between his lips was long: soft leather sewn in the shape of a cock and overstuffed so it was stiff but still had some give. Leather straps extended from the sides of it, and Vax sucked contently as Pike fastened the buckle behind his head, tight enough that he couldn’t just spit it out without help. Pike pushed on his head to lay it back down when she was done, and Vax let out a soft moan of thanks. The cock gag was good for him. It wasn’t big enough to restrict breathing, but enough to make him feel filled. It gave him something to focus on when there was nothing immediate happening, and it made him feel useful to be able to really use his mouth, even though he wasn’t actually pleasuring anyone but himself with his sucking. It was practice, and it made him want to be filled at the other end, too.

He moaned around it as another blow came down on his ass, and he was glad for the position he was in. It made it really hard to rub his legs together or try to get any friction for his cock. He could just focus on the pain. It blurred everything else out, let him live in sensation and forget about anything but his body. At least for a little while, his mind would be blissfully blank, and after the nice rest, the weight of everything would be off him for awhile.

Every hit was a little harder, starting to pitch Vax forward into the floor with every hit, making him whimper behind the gag. The paddle was only a warmup, though, and they both knew it.

Once his ass was satisfyingly red, Pike set the paddle aside and picked up another length of rope. This one had a loop tied in one end.

The straight end got tied around the ropes binding his elbows. Pike adjusted the length carefully, then grabbed Vax’s hair in a fist and yanked it back unceremoniously, making him cry out behind the gag.

“Don’t try to act like you’re complaining, Vax,” she scolded. “I know how much you love this.” She was working busily as she spoke, wrapping Vax’s hair several times around the loop in the rope, holding it secure. It forced him to keep his head arched back, and meant that if he struggled, he’d get it pulled more. She gave it a few yanks to make sure his hair wasn’t slipping, then nodded, satisfied.

“Ready for the next step?” Pike asked.

Vax nodded, a motion that yanked his hair and pulled all of him long with it — his hair pulled on his elbows which pulled on his shoulders, and on until his whole body was into the motion. The pain made him whimper a little, eyes watering and cock throbbing.

Pike’s hands went to the gag, working the buckle open and pulling it out of his mouth gently. “I need you to tell me with your words.”

Vax exhaled, a little breathless from the gag, and closed his eyes as he said it. Pike at least allowed him that much. “I want you to whip my cock with the switch,” he told her. “And I…”

Pike paused, raising an eyebrow. There hadn’t been an addition to this when he first asked. “Yes, Vax?”

He bit his lip briefly. “I really want something…something i-in.”

Pike waited, silent.

“Something inside my ass.”

“I can imagine you do. Do you think you’ve earned that yet?”

Vax swallowed hard. “M-maybe?”

Pike slapped him across the face. Not enough to really hurt, but enough to get his attention.

“N-no, ma’am.”

“No, you haven’t. So I don’t want to hear about it again.”

Vax swallowed hard and gave that whole-body nod again. “Yes, ma’am.”

She put the gag back in his mouth and rebuckled it, a little looser this time in deference to the bound hair. “Sit up,” she instructed. Vax sat back on his heels. “Can you stand without help?”

Vax made an unsure sound through the gag and started to slide one foot forward, testing his strength, but Pike put a hand on his knee. “No no, don’t worry about it. Wait here for me.”

He didn’t want to nod again, so he didn’t, just closed his eyes briefly in assent. Pike went over to the chair they would use, a simple wooden desk chair, and pulled it over right behind Vax so he didn’t have to go anywhere. From here, Pike could help him up onto it, hooking his arms over the back and sliding his butt onto the seat. He was hard, his cock jutting out proudly between his legs, and it brought that fiendish smile to Pike’s lips. 

“Someone’s eager,” she said, running her fingers lightly over it. “We’ll see how long that lasts, won’t we?”

Vax made a soft sound, settling into the chair with his legs splayed open wide, presenting himself to be hurt. He closed his eyes and tried to block out everything else, focus only on the smarting pain of having to sit on his abused ass. Having his legs splayed and leaning as far back as he could get kind of helped, but there was no real escape. It was delicious, and just enough to let him zen out on it. He didn’t want to know it was coming when she hit him, and sure enough, that first blinding stripe of pain caught him by surprise.

Vax’s legs pulled up instinctively, wanting to protect himself, but he forced them back down, eyes squeezed shut.

“Tap your foot twice if you need your legs tied, okay?”

Two taps, immediately. He didn’t want to have to worry about it. Pike giggled and confirmed that she’d heard him, then went for more rope. Binding his ankles to the legs of the chair was quick and easy, and when he got another stripe across the underside of his cock, his legs jerked but stayed in place.

“Oh, my,” Pike said softly, and the tone in her voice made Vax want to spread even more, give her as much of himself as he could in hopes she’d say it again. “Do you think you’ve been a good boy yet?”

“Mm-mm,” Vax answered, about as close as he could get to language with the gag in.

“No? All right.” It was with that same soft tone, punctuated with a shocking hit to his balls. “I’ll make sure you get plenty of punishment, so you can be good again.”

Vax moaned and closed his eyes again, the cry he gave muffled when his cock was hit again.

The advantage of the switch was that it was thin and flexible enough to feel like a whip, but stiff enough that Pike could control it with precision. Comparatively small targets, like his cock and balls, could feel the narrow, laser-focused pain of a thin whip without risking anywhere Pike didn’t want to hit him. The pain of it was bright and hard and _good_ , like Pike was painting the lines on him in beautiful, white-hot light. He could swim in it, drown in it, and know that she had his hand.

Soon enough, though, the pain was tipping over the line from bright to blinding, becoming too much, so Vax tapped his foot and slapped the chair and made noise, everything he had available to get Pike’s attention.

“Shhhh, I hear you, it’s okay,” she told him, stroking his arm, then reached up and unbuckled the gag. “What is it, sweet boy?”

“Too much,” he gasped, nearly choking on pooled saliva and swallowing hard to clear his mouth. “My cock. Enough.”

“Okay,” Pike said, but she knew him well enough to hear what he was struggling to express. “Does that mean you want me to stop?”

He shook his head, making a little noise as it tugged his hair.

“Do you want your hair free?”

He shook his head again.

“Okay. Do you want me to keep hitting you?”

“Uh huh.”

“Just not your cock?”

“Uh huh.”

The image was becoming clearer. “How about I strap it out of the way and carry on with your balls for a little while. And then when you’ve had enough of that, we can let you out and see about your reward. Is that what you want?”

“ _Yes._ ”

His tone was desperate, half hiss and half moan, full of joyful rapture, desperate arousal, and fearful apprehension all at the same time. The combination was intoxicating, and she wished this chair had him low enough to be easily kissed. It didn’t, though, so she went and retrieved one of his belts, binding his cock out of the way with it and buckling it at his hip.

“Good?” Pike asked, giving the head of it a reassuring rub where it poked out above the belt.

“Uh huh,” Vax said, licking his lips.

“Ask me for what you want now, Vax. Use your words again, please,” she prompted.

“Whip my balls until I beg you to stop.” He was too deep in sensation to feel a thing like shame anymore, no hesitation in his voice, and it made Pike smile. 

“How are you doing, Vax?”

“Feel…floaty. Hurts a lot. Might come. Don’t wanna talk.”

“That’s okay, that was enough talking.” It was pretty normal for Vax to struggle with words after awhile, particularly when a gag was involved. She considered it evidence that she was taking his mind apart good and proper. “Do you want the gag back?”

“No ma’am. I mean.” He took a second to make sure his words were in the right order. “Don’t care.”

“Let’s leave it out, then,” she said, setting it aside to be cleaned later.

With that, she resumed the hits, careful to avoid his cock, but lavishing attention on his balls and inner thighs in the form of her switch, enjoying every cry and whimper now that his mouth was unoccupied. She was warm and slick between the legs under her nightgown, and knew that tonight she wouldn’t be sending him away without satisfying her, but it wasn’t time for that yet. She’d have plenty of time to enjoy his tongue later. He’d have earned a reward by then; Vax loved going down on a woman so much that it counted as a reward to let him do it, which Pike was more than happy to give him when he’d been particularly good.

A particularly high whine hit her ears, and Vax’s cock jerked a little under the belt, dribbling a little bit of seed. Pike raised one eyebrow, shadow of a smile touching her lips.

“You just edged, didn’t you?”

“Yes ma’am.” His voice was a needy whine and he was squirming in his bonds, trying desperately to get enough friction to make it more than that.

“Do you want me to keep hitting you until you come?” Unable to resist, she stepped up close enough to whisper in his ear, lips a scant quarter-inch away from the pointed shell. “I could hit you faster and harder, keep you tied like this and abuse you until you come all over my switch, then let you lick it clean. Would you like that, Vax?”

The sound he made was urgent, and he nodded.

“Okay, I can do that for you. But if I do that, you don’t get my hand. Is that what you want?”

It wasn’t meant as denying him something he wanted, so much as reminding him he’d wanted something different before. He groaned in frustration and shook his head, and as he squeezed his eyes closed, a tear ran down his temple.

“You’ve been in this position a long time. We’re going to untie you and move you so I can get at you a little better, and then you can decide how you want your reward. Okay, Vax?”

He swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said, voice small.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek. “You’ve been a good boy,” she told him. “You’ve taken your punishment so well. I want you to know this is just about making you feel good now, so you can tell me what would make you feel good if it’s not what I’m doing, okay?”

Vax took a breath, steadying himself. “What would feel good is you to do whatever you want,” he said. “Ma’am.”

Pike kissed his cheek again. “Okay, then. That’s what I’ll do. Your hair’s coming unbound, okay?” She unwrapped it from the loop in the rope, letting him groan and shake his head out for a moment. Next was his elbows getting unbound and letting him move his shoulders around, working out the stiffness. She untied his ankles last and had him stand on wobbly legs, then brought the chair around in front of him to let him bend over the back, binding his hands to the sides of the wood. It was easier to bind his wrists separately in a way he couldn’t get out of, no crossover action to pick those knots free. Satisfied with how Vax was bent over with his balls hanging down, cock still strapped to his belly, she ran the tip of her switch over it.

“Time to use your words, just for a minute,” she warned him, and gave him a second to get ready for it. “Tell me what you want.”

“Hit me,” he said urgently. “I can take more. But don’t make me come. I wanna come with your hand in me.”

“Good boy,” she praised, leaning in to kiss his temple. “I can do that. I’m so proud of you.”

The skin on the underside of his balls, what she could now see, was fresh and tender, so tempting to leave her mark on. She proceeded to do so, whipping Vax until he edged again and then untying him, turning the chair around so he could be bent over it on his knees and have the seat supporting him. She took the belt off, releasing his cock and smiling as it bounced free, still hard through all the pain he’d taken. His hands got bound to the chair again and a small pillow put under his head, so he could rest comfortably. Then, Pike went to retrieve the oil.

Two fingers were easy, and three not much harder — they were small fingers, after all, and Vax’s hole was well-trained. Four was where she started to actually slow down, easing it in slow and adding more oil.

“Good?” Pike asked.

Vax nodded. “Good.”

When they were doing something simpler like this, something pleasure-focused, the system could be a little simpler: Pike would ask if Vax was good, and he’d answer good, okay, or bad. Bad merited stopping, okay meant a pause and adjustment to get back to good. It was rare that he actually said anything other than good. Pike figured it meant she handled him well, and was proud of it.

The thumb slipped in easy, four fingers making a space for it, and and she started to push a little harder, encouraging Vax’s body to accept the wide part. He whimpered and shifted his knees apart, opening himself up, asking for more.

“Good?”

“Good.”

With every thrust, she’d press against the resistance gently for a beat, then pull back and repeat. She got a tiny bit farther with every press, his body opened up for it a little more.

“You’re so pretty like this, Vax,” Pike sighed. “Giving me your ass to play with, begging me to spread you open.”

“Please,” he whimpered, unable to say anything else.

“Patience, sweet boy.” She pressed for a second longer this time, feeling that they were almost there. “Patience.”

Vax cried out when his hole finally accepted her, swallowing it all at once. Pike made a pleased sound and carefully curled her hand into a fist, protecting him from nails or jabby fingers.

“Such a good boy,” she murmured, stroking his back with her free hand and then pressing it between her legs over her nightgown, biting her lip as she stole a little pleasure. “Such a good boy.” She started to move her fist inside him, reveling in it as he moaned and cried out. He wanted to rock back on it, fuck himself, but his hands were tied low on the legs, giving him little slack to do it with. All he could do was take it.

“Good?” Pike asked, breathless.

“Good!” Vax cried. “Fuck, good! Pike!”

“Shhh,” Pike admonished, trying not to laugh through it. “You’ll wake the family!”

Vax buried his face in the pillow in response, where he could cry out and moan as he liked and have no risk of being heard. Pike felt she could do this for hours, fuck Vax with her hand and listen to him moan and beg, but eventually she took pity, reaching forward with her other hand to stroke Vax’s cock firmly, giving him what he needed to finally get over the edge.

It didn’t take too much, and soon Pike was working on taking her hand back, gently easing it out as Vax twitched with aftershocks. “You’ve been such a good boy,” she told him, rubbing the edges of his stretched hole to hear him whimper. “Do you want something in this so you don’t feel empty, until bedtime? You’ve still got a few minutes of work to do.”

Seemingly knowing what she meant, Vax licked his lips and nodded, so Pike retrieved a small plug, just enough so that it would feel like something. Vax moaned in gratitude when she pressed it in, making her soaked cunt feel even hotter.

“Oh, you’re making me regret tying you up so well,” she murmured, hurriedly trying to get his hands undone. “You’re getting another reward, sweet boy, are you excited?”

Vax was too wiped out for pretense. “It’s been so long since I tasted you,” he said, shutting his eyes dreamily. “I wanna lick you so bad, Pike.”

Pike giggled, a sound of exhilaration and nerves, and went to get his other hand. Seeing little need for ceremony, Vax just let himself melt and flop back off the chair, onto his back, face to the sky. Pike appeared in his vision, nightgown hiked up to her waist, and Vax reached up, guiding with his hands as she lowered herself to his face.

At first she just stayed there, letting Vax play, but soon Pike was grabbing his hair as reins and grinding down on his face, rubbing herself mercilessly against his mouth. Vax just kept his mouth open, his tongue available, and did his best to lick her in the rhythm she demanded. It didn’t take her very long to ride his face to a first climax, then a second, then a third a minute later. She finally began to slow down, then, but Vax didn’t, licking and sucking her until she shuddered over him for a fourth time.

“Good boy,” Pike murmured, hips slowing against his mouth as she rode out the aftershocks. Vax kept licking eagerly, wringing every drop of pleasure out of her that he could get. “Good boy.”

Finally, she pulled away, dropping her nightgown and going on wobbly legs to get a rag. She cleaned herself up, then returned to take care of Vax. Somehow, their combined effort got him into the bed, and Pike nudged him over onto his stomach so she could take the plug out. Tossing it aside, she climbed up into the bed next to Vax, softly calling one of the servants to turn down the fire and put out the lights.

“So like, human tongue. Basically the same size as a gnome cock, yeah?”

Pike shook her head, and gathered Vax’s to her chest. “Goodnight, Vax.”

Vax relaxed in her arms, content and happy. “‘Night, Pickle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come say hi on [tumblr](http://raylanstitties.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> I can already feel that this is about to become a Whole Thing, so expect at least two more chapters. One of them will probably involve Vax/Raven Queen, because I'm weird.


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